Triangled Circle
by fiesa
Summary: It's the first time Hermione embraces him like that – and then, Harry comes crashing into them. On first reflex, Ron wants to shove him aside. OneShot, movie-verse.


**Triangled Circle**

_Merry Christmas! Part I_**  
**

_Summary: It's the first time Hermione embraces him like that – and then, Harry comes crashing into them. On first reflex, Ron wants to shove him aside. OneShot, movie-verse._

_Warning: Definitely more angsty than fluffy._

_Set: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part One. Ron and Tonks fight their way back to the Burrow.  
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_Disclaimer: Standards apply._

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* * *

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Darkness.

And then _not _darkness anymore, because clouds explode around him and Tonks and blinding lights flash through the night and Ron wonders – and he wonders how he can wonder about this right now – what the muggles will say when reporting about this. A thunderstorm, probably.

But a thunderstorm is a force of nature and this hell around him is Death Eater-induced. They are everywhere – in front of them, around them, behind them, and both Tonks and Ron cling to the only thing that holds then in the air and fight for their life.

"Stupefy! Impedimenta! Impedimenta!"

Fights don't have to be creative. The hexes just have to hit. While Tonks is the experienced auror, she has to concentrate on flying as well. So Ron clings to her (it's easier than clinging to the broom, he notices) and tries to shield her and, at the same time, get rid of their pursuers. Time doesn't matter. His heart-beat counts seconds. The only thing that _does_ matter is that they have to get out of here, reach their safe location, take a Port-key back home. See Harry. See _Hermione._

They have spent two weeks planning how to get Harry safely away from Privet Drive. Hermione has helped in developing the plan more than he could, but still. The two weeks since she appeared at their front door with nothing than a beaded bag have gone by so fast and yet felt like eternity. Only he and Hermione, planning, dreaming, wishing. Hoping...

Now is no time for either of it.

Now he has to fight with everything he has because if he doesn't, he'll never see her again. Not her and not Harry. So he screams until his throat feels raw and in between, almost unconsciously, he manages to use wordless spells.

_"Impedimenta!" Stupefy. "Incendio!"_

Tonks' voice is controlled, measured. If she even uses it. That's why she is an auror and he isn't. Her body is rigid, taut with tension. Every movement is well-planned.

An Unforgivable Curse almost hits them. His shield spell, yelled at the top of his lungs – "_Protego!" – _is strong enough to repel a Death Eater who has come dangerously close and who is knocked over by the force of the expanding spell. But the Curse shatters it and the only thing that saves them is Tonks, who rips the broom off its course and throws them into a stomach-churning loop. Clambering his legs around the broom-stick, Ron clings to the shape-shifter with everything he has.

Their loop almost takes them into the next Curse's path. No time to think. Ron _reacts._

"_PROTEGO!"_

This time, the Curse bounces off the shield with enough force to throw them off to the right. Grimly, Tonks takes them into another roll. The darkness underneath them slowly is replaced by a few, soft lights.

_Almost there._

"Stupefy! Stupefy! Petrificus Totalus!"

And with an eardrum-shattering noise, they crash through the barrier around their safe house and almost hit the ground. Behind them, their last pursuers give up with a bone-chilling scream.

* * *

"Ron!"

Hermione is running towards him, still in Harry's clothes. The garden of the Burrow is dark, but from the entrance of the door, he sees bright light and the figure of someone – Mad-Eye? – in the door. There are more people there but he only cares for the girl running towards him. Tonks has long let go of his arm and has thrown herself at Remus who hugs her like there is no tomorrow.

It's _exactly _what Ron feels right now.

"Oh Remus!" Tonks wouldn't sob; otherwise he would think she was crying. He can't tell whether it is the aftermath of the fight that makes her so upset or the fact that her husband is alive. He thinks it's the latter. "Ron was great! If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here!"

Hermione has reached him and comes to a halt. Her eyes stare at him questioningly, searching for something.

"Really?" She asks.

"What's so strange about that?" He manages to quip back and is amazed by the steadiness in his voice. He feels like he is trembling all over.

Hermione still musters him, takes him in entirely. He feels strangely naked under her gaze, like she is laying bare all his faults and judging him. And he doesn't want to be judged, especially not by her. But when she meets his eyes, there is something he has never seen before in them. And he falls quiet.

It's warm.

It's the first thing he realizes.

Her gaze is warm and soft and there is even pride in her eyes, as if she was proud he had helped Tonks. He feels goose-bumps arise on his arms. But there is more: There is relief that he has returned safely, and the last drops of fear she has to have had during the fights, and the strength that makes her Hermione and that he loves so much.

He realizes it with a jolt.

He loves her – Hermione, this noisy, bossy, intelligent girl. Hermione who knows everything better and has already read more books than he probably will ever read in his lifetime. Hermione, who can quote from "Hogwarts – A History" and who receives straight As in every subject. Hermione, who could brew a Polyjuice Potion when he didn't even know where to find the ingredients if they danced on his nose. Hermione, who could change a cup into a living mouse when he had trouble changing the color of an old rat. Hermione, who looked brilliant in her ball gown and who hit Draco Malfoy right in the face and who cheered him on in the Quidditch Finals and –

She embraces him, her warmth seeping into his body through his shirt and sweatshirt. Her face is on his shoulder and he can feel her heartbeat and putting his arms around her is the most normal thing in the world. Her scent is familiar. The feel of her arms around his body is _good_. He doesn't care about Remus and Tonks standing there, and Ginny, and probably Harry, too, because he has to be somewhere –

And then Harry throws his arms around the two of them and hugs them, too.

* * *

For one second, Ron wants to beat up his best friend. How can he _dare_ to interrupt them? Hasn't he, Ron, watched diligently as Harry started going out with Ginny? How can his best friend _not_ notice that right now, he just wants to hold Hermione, to stay like this and never let go? For everything Ron has done for Harry, he could at least expect _some _help and understanding, couldn't he? He just wants to free himself to bark at him when he noticed one thing.

And this one thing is so strange he can't help but follow Hermione's example and wrap one arm around Harry, too.

* * *

There they stand, a triangled circle of arms and heads and beating hearts and fast breathing and what has started as an embrace turns into a knot that anchors them to the ground, is the only reason they keep standing upright.

And then Dad and Fred come rushing into the front yard and Mum and Kingsley gives them a look full of foreboding and reality comes crashing down on them. They un-knot themselves and follow into the house. There, the fear and worry for George and his injury and the warmth that Hermione's glance has left in him are able to suppress the memory. Only months later, when Ron sees the corpse of his best friend lying in Hagrid's arms, he remembers again.

That night, Harry's whole body had been trembling.


End file.
